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23 May 2006
President Bush and Prime Minister Blair to Discuss Iraq

British Prime Minister Tony Blair will meet with President Bush in Washington May 25-26, and the two leaders are planning to discuss a "full range" of issues, including support for the new Iraqi government, according to a May 23 White House statement.

The statement said Bush and Blair also will have discussions on how to prevent Iran from acquiring the means to build nuclear weapons, Middle East peace efforts, ending the violence in Darfur, Sudan, and promoting free trade.

“The United Kingdom is a key ally and a resolute partner of the United States in addressing these and other global challenges,” the statement said. 

Snow said Bush and Blair would hold a joint press conference May 25, and Blair would deliver a speech in Washington on May 26 concerning Iraq and the global War on Terror.

“[T]hey're going to spend a lot of time together. The prime minister will be reporting on his recently completed trip to Iraq. Obviously, the subject of Iran's going to come up in all the other matters of mutual concern,” Snow said.

The prime minister visited Baghdad May 22 to show support for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Iraq's first permanent democratically elected government.

President Bush praised the formation of Iraq's new government and said that as long as the Iraqi people remain united, there is "no limit to the potential of their country." (See related article)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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